Education

A quality education is one of the greatest gifts you can be given in life, it opens up opportunities to happiness, peace and prosperity.

In Tanzania, education starts with pre-primary (aged 5-6), followed by seven years of primary schooling all in Swahili culminating in the stand 7 exams. This is followed by four years of secondary, where O-Levels are taken in English, then two years in upper secondary for A-levels, college or vocational training. After upper secondary, students attend university or college.

When we explore the root causes of poor academic performance, we uncover the many challenges students face:

• Some schools have teaching and learning environments that are unsafe, uninspiring, and under resourced.

• Overcrowded classrooms in both primary and secondary schools due to insufficient classrooms

• Insufficient teaching and learning materials make teaching and learning difficult.

• Schools often have unsafe and unhygienic toilets which are a breeding ground for diseases resulting in students being fearful of using them which contributes to absenteeism, especially for young girls.

• Poorly explained puberty and the stigma associated with menstruation.

  A lack of lunchtime meals can result in stunted physical and cranial development, afternoon tiredness, absenteeism.

• Poorly motivated and managed teachers, some of whom have to travel great distances to their schools due to lack of teachers’ accommodation.

• Long distances to school can result in tiredness in class, truancy and increase the risk of physical and sexual abuse, especially for girls.

• Low levels of parental interest or engagement in education.

We are working with the Town and Ward Education, Health, Planning and Community Development Officers, School Development Committees, Head teachers, students and parents to address these challenges so that the goals set by the stakeholders can be achieved.

Our Programmes

We invite you to join us at the table so that together we can provide the support needed to transform lives.

Classrooms, Offices and Kitchens

18,783 Students have benefited from an improved learning environment

Through participatory development techniques we work with the community and other stakeholders to transform dangerous, overcrowded and under resourced schools into a bright, inspirational and well resourced environment where all feel safe to teach and learn.

There are any schools within Babati, both primary and secondary, that are in need of support to either renovate, complete or build classrooms, teachers offices and kitchens with storerooms and we have priority schools should you wish to support our efforts.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

25,567 people have benefited from our Water, SanitatIon and hygiene Work

Sadly many of the toilets in schools in Babati are dark, unhygienic, unsafe, lack privacy, lack water, lack facilities for girls and up until recently lacked hand washing facilities.

Through our Mikono Salama (Safe Hands) Programme, we have ensured that EVERY primary school now has hand washing facilities.

Though our Tubaki Shuleni Salama (Lets Stay Safe at School) Programme we have so far worked with 6 communities to raise awareness at community and school level on the challenges of puberty and the importance of good menstrual hygiene practices.

HERE is a report from Children’s Voices in Action on the our Babati Day toilet construction project.

Progress Report - Feb 2025

From the graph we can deduce that the schools achieving high grades continue to do well, while the schools not performing well continue to struggle.

Why?

There is a market difference in performance between urban and rural school this is due to:-

• better teaching and learning environments.

• Better access to water and quality of sanitation facilities.

• Better parental engagement where the parents value education.

• Less domestic poverty.

• Teachers accommodation - in rural areas there are fewer places for teachers to live and so their travel becomes a challenge which impacts on their attendance.

• Resources are fewer in the rural areas

• The longer distances that the children have to walk each day and so their attendance levels…

• Greater access to power and influencers.

The Government has:

• mandated communities to provide all full time students with a lunch time meal - a programme kickstarted by LTT (now MTz) in 2012

• that children who pass Standard 7 exams MUST attend secondary school and parents will be fined if their children fail to attend. Sadly parents in poverty are ordering their children to fail the standard 7 exams. This highlights the importance of supporting parents with income generation.

In the coming years MTz will focus on the worst performing schools and support them to progress up the charts. We are doing this through our teacher training programme and targeted investment in resources and infrastructure and supporting the community to improve their income generating opportunities.

Waangwaray Primary School

Infrastructure and Resources: This was our first school where we revamped all the classrooms and built 3 more and built teachers toilets. We completed 2 teachers houses started by the community. We built a kitchen with a fuel efficient stove, brought electricity to the school, added desks, a satellite dish, laptops, a photocopier and hundreds of books.

School Farm: After hearing that parents were struggling to afford costs of secondary schools we opted to start a school farm to demonstrate best practice. This required drilling a borehole which we also connected to the school. With the help of a local agricultural expert we established a large farm with fruit trees, cows, goats, ducks, chickens, fish and bees and a large space for greens and other vegetables. Our Farm won an award in 2010 for the “Best Farm in Babati”

Community Engagement: We started a feeding programme in collaboration with the community. We brought water and electricity to the school,. We build a large school farm with cows, goats, chickens, ducks and fish ponds, a farm store and office. Bee hives were installed in the local forested area and tree nurseries established. We ran Agriculture, Enterprise and Savings and Loans Programmes within the community. We handed the completed school back to the community in 2018.

Sinai Primary School

Infrastructure and resources: Our second school partnership, we revamped existing classrooms, teacher offices and built 4 classrooms including a special needs classroom, and a store. We brought water and electricity to the school, built student and teachers toilets . We built a kitchen from which we started a school meals programme. We bought desks and hundreds of books

Market Garden: There was very little land available to grow food, but we planted some fruit trees and greens for a small market garden. We struggled against the birds that enjoyed the produce more than the students. 

Community Engagement; We established a school meals programme but sadly community participation fell below our required levels for the feeding programme and school maintenance and we stopped working with the community and school in 2012. We ran enterprise, savings and loans and a pig programmes within the community.

Managha Primary School

Infrastructure and Resources: We revamped the whole school and built a new kindergarten and a multi-purpose room that has the potential to be a double classroom when needed. We brought water and electricity to the school and established a biogas fed kitchen. We established a satellite dish with laptops and a photocopier. We completed the building of one teacher’s house. We added hundred of books

Market Garden: We established a livestock area with cattle, chickens and fruit trees plus a separate fenced in area for fruit trees + vegetables + fish pond. The garden was used to provide enterprise training to the students and resulted in us winning two awards for “Enterprise in Education” from Teach a Man to Fish & The Saville Foundation - 2013 we were Pan African runners up and in 2014 we were best in Tanzania.

Community Engagement: Our 3rd school where we started to change our partnership model from donor to partner, requiring the community to commit to certain standards of engagement, including provision of school meals and contributions to building materials. We have run Agriculture and Enterprise Training Programmes within the community.  We handed the competed school back to the community in 2022

Malangi Primary School

Infrastructure and Resources: This very rural school was a failing school that was due to be closed because of the poor condition of the classrooms. We revamped 8 classrooms and built 3 new ones, added a kitchen with fuel efficient stove, teacher and student toilets. We added 114,000 litres of rainwater storage at the school, with 40,000 at the market garden. We completed the building of 2 teachers houses and built 4 more. We brought water to the school. We added over a hundred new desks, book shelves, hundreds of books.

Market Garden: In this very arid area we build fake roofs and installed rainwater harvesting connected to drip irrigation. The farm was partially under net shading due to the intense heat, with side netting protection crops from the bugs. The raised bed mandala garden focused on greens. Fruit trees and vines were also planted.

Community Engagement: Our 4th school where we improved further our participatory approach with whole community engagement. We have run Agriculture and Enterprise Training Programmes within the community.

Gendi Primary School

Infrastructure and Resources: This school, started by the British in the 1940’s was struggling and needed a full renovation. We renovated 12 classrooms and 3 teachers offices, installed 270,000 litres of water/rainwater storage and drilled a borehole powered by a solar pump. We built new toilets for the teachers, and students. We installed over 100 nes desks and hundreds of books with bookshlves. We built a kitchen with fuel efficient stoves and storage space for food and firewood.

Market Garden: We established a large, fenced in market garden, with drip irrigation, for fruit trees, vegetables and greens.

Community Engagement: Our 5th school, we renovated with full community engagement and participation with parents feeding their children

Bambay Primary School

School Infrastructure and resources:  We started by drilling a borehole which enabled student toilets to be renovated and new teacher toilets to be built. We then built a kitchen with fuel efficient stoves and storage rooms. In December 2023 in partnership with the community we built and handed over 2 more classrooms to ease the overcrowding.

Market Garden: The school have seen other school farms and have opted to plant banana trees around the school premises

Community engagement: Our 7th school and has been developed with fantastic community collaboration with the community feeding their children and providing labour and materials for renovation and construction work. We have been running Agriculture and Enterprise Training with the community.

Sawe Primary School

Infrastructure and resources: We have built, with community engagement, 16 classrooms and two teachers offices, toilets for boys, girls and teachers, a kitchen and store. Each has been fitted out with tables, chairs desks, cupboards and hundreds and books. There is rainwater harvesting with 155,000 litres of water storage. We also connected the school to the mains water supply. 

Market Garden: Whilst we have planted some fruit trees, the lack of land makes this urban school unsuited for a market garden

Community Engagement: The community have been excellent, with great leadership, commitment and engagement. We have worked with them on Enterprise, savings and loans and pig breeding programmes. The school was handed over to the community in March 2024 and 100% of the student who sat their National Standard 7 exams passed. 

Kiongozi Primary School

Infrastructure and Resources:  Part of the school was very old and part relatively new. To date we have demolished half of the old classrooms and, completed 3 bomas and build 3 new classrooms from scratch, but have ambitions to go further in time.

Market Garden: The lack of water in this area, makes a full market garden a challenge, we are exploring options

Community Engagement: The community have built new toilets on their own and invested on bomas and whilst the feeding in not yet 100% it is their aim. We have worked with the community on some agriculture and enterprise programmes.

Work at non-partner schools

Babati Day Secondary School

Infrastructure and Resources: At the behest of the Head Teacher, we visited this secondary school and witnessed the poor state of the toilets, especially the girls toilets. Door were missing, so were hand washing facilities and there was nowhere for girls to manage their periods. With 500 girls using just 8 working yet unsanitary cubicles, and after consultation with both the girls and the boys we agreed to support them. The new girls toilets were completed by the end of April 2024 and the boys toilets were completed in September 2024. The impact has been significant in that zero students now go to hospital each week (previously 10) with toilet hygiene related issues. Student have the freedom to eat and drink as they need without fear of using the toilets. 

Market Garden: N/a

Community Engagement: Excellent engagement by community students and teachers.

Frederick Sumaye Secondary School

Infrastructure and Resources: We have built a kitchen with fuel efficient stoves and a store, drilled a borehole for water, added a toilet block to a dormitory and added bunk beds, we added a hygiene cubicle for the girls toilets and upgraded the existing ones. we provided 2 laptops for school administration.  

Market Garden: we planted a few trees at the school and encouraged a market garden, but school participation was not great on this. 

Community Engagement: Community engagement was limited, but this was an early project and we did not ask for much.

Maisaka and Hangoni Primary Schools

School Infrastructure and resources:  We did not partner with these communities but reacted to desperate need within each school. At Maisaka we completed 2 ‘bomas”. A Boma is a classroom or block of classrooms, started by the community with the promise that the Government would complete them, but sadly funds were not forthcoming and the needs were urgent. At Hangoni, the existing kindergarten wwas in a hazardous state and we were asked to intervene before any students came to harm. All were fully fittied out with desks, tables and chairs

Market garden. Maisaka teachers tried to establish their own garden but water issues prevented success, but they were successful in growing staple crops of maize and beans. 

Community engagement - n/a

Mutuka Secondary school

Infrastructure and Resources: When a teacher from Waangwaray transferred to Mutuka and started to introduce some of our ideas into this secondary school we wanted to support him. We supported the transition from open fire to fuel efficiency and with the savings made he built storage shelves in his chemistry lab’s storage room. In a community wide project in partnership with Bawasa (Babati Water and Sanitation Department) we laid fresh pipes from the source across farm lands, to the school and local homes. This significantly improved their water security and allowed us to build new toilets for the students and enabled the community to build a dormitory where we have provided bunk beds.

Market Garden: The school have established their own garden, which we have provided mentoring

Community Engagement: Very good engagement, we have run Agricultural and Livelihoods Training Programmes in the community. 

Ziwani Primary School

Infrastructure and Resources: The poor state of the toilets was brought to our attention, along with the lack of disabled toilet facilities for their disabled students. We therefore build new toilets for boys and girls and disabled block for either gender. As a result of our work another NGO drilled a borehole for the school. We have also provided a fuel efficient stove for school meals

Market Garden: N/a

Community Engagement: The community engaged every step of the way.

Kwara and Kwaang Secondary Schools

Infrastructure and Resources: Seeing the quantities of firewood being consumed by open fires at these two schools prompted us to take immediate action. At Kwara we build a kitchen and firewood store, while at Kwaang we added fuel efficient stoves. At Kwara we also supported the addition of a satellite dish.

Market Garden: N/a

Community Engagement; N/a

Sigino Secondary School

Infrastructure and Resources: We never like to see schools with awful toilets which is why we have also worked at this school. Not only improving the hygiene but also adding a cubicle for the girls to manage their periods in safety and with dignity.

Market Garden: N/a

Community Engagement: Good with the building process and collaboration on the menstrual hygiene programme.

Daghaloy and Harra Primary Schools

Infrastructure and Resources: Through the Tubaki Shuleni Salama programme we built new toilets at Daghaloy and Harra Primary Schools

Market Garden: N/a

Community Engagement: The community provided material and dug the foundations.